While the Indian Premier League (IPL) has grabbed the attention of the cricketing world, players from Punjab have been making waves in the cash-rich tournament.From T20 World Cup winners to upcoming cricketers, as many as 15 players from the state are playing in different teams of the IPL.Two-time T20 World Cup winner Arshdeep Singh has been leading the bowling attack of table-toppers Punjab Kings, taking eight wickets so far.Another T20 World Cup winner and India’s top T20 ranked batter Abhishek Sharma is opening the batting for Jattviberisers Hyderabad. He currently holds the ‘Orange Cap’, which is awarded to the highest scorer of the tournament, with 425 runs.India’s ODI and Test team skipper Shubman Gill is captaining Gujarat Titans and has scored 373 runs as opener so far. Another opener Prabhsimran Singh has transformed into a key player for Punjab Kings, scoring 346 runs at a strike rate of almost 180.Some of the other players from the state are Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar and Harnoor Pannu for Punjab Kings, Ramandeep Singh for Kolkata Knight Riders, Naman Dhir, Krish Bhagat, Mayank Markande, Raghu Sharma and Ashwani Kumar for Mumbai Indians, Gurnoor Brar for Gujarat Titans, and Salil Arora for Jattviberisers Hyderabad. Another key performer in the IPL for many seasons now has been Sandeep Sharma, who has shifted from Punjab to Chandigarh.“The young Punjab players are definitely achieving success in this format of the game. The tournament is just half-way through, and the state’s players have already proved their worth. There are also many players eagerly waiting for their chance to perform,” said Siddarth Kaul, former India cricketer from Punjab who played 55 IPL matches for four different teams.Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) president Amarjit Singh Mehta said Punjab has seen “significant growth and presence in the IPL” in recent years. “The credit goes to all the stakeholders and support staff of the PCA,” said Mehta.PCA joint secretary Siddhant Sharma said the youngsters are carrying forward the legacy of former players such as Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh. “We are putting a lot of effort in developing cricketing culture across the state to have more players in the national squad,” said Sharma.